Alleging discrimination, Sneaky Pete’s owner vows to sue city

ALBANY — The owner of Sneaky Pete’s said Monday he will sue the city for its rejection of the club’s proposal to open in the North Albany warehouse district.

Dominic Karl, who operated the hip-hop club on Central Avenue in Albany before the building was razed for a ShopRite, described the Board of Zoning Appeals’ October decision as racially based. Karl said is still weighing the course and type of his legal action, but stressed he will certainly sue. … Karl, a Ballston resident, said he is weighing whether to ask a court to overturn the zoning decision, or whether to file a suit that instead asks for monetary damages.

Steve Barnes

25 Responses

they always use the race card,, of course it has nothing to due with the reputation that hole had, sure he may of not had shootings and stabbings inside , but look at the amount of crime that took place outside , in the parking lot,, Albany is a much safer place without sneaky petes

Who is this guy kidding? The people who would frequent this club would be the “I shot him ’cause he looked wrong at me” crowd”. This isn’t a racial issue, its a crime-issue; and his previous club has set the precedent for the judgment against his proposal. The very fact that he has to install metal-detectors and secruity guards at the door tells you exactly what kind of place this is going to be.

If a predominantly black jazz club were to petition for a permit, they’d get it, because the clientele wouldn’t be little gang-bangers and other assorted thugs.

I noticed that the owner of the club lives in Ballston Spa; not a very diverse area for someone who is such a proponent of the “can’t we all just get along” philosphy.

Good for him, this clearly is all about race as all the other bars in that area haven’t had any issues getting permits. Sneaky Pete’s had more security that any other club I ever went to and was well managed. Just because a couple of idiots caused violence in their parking lot along time ago doesn’t mean it will happen again. Sneaky Pete’s gives young minority’s something to do on weekend nights and is a job creator. Albany should be ashamed of themselves for not allowing them to move into a building that no other business has any interest in.

Speaking as a person who enjoys visiting the new venues in the warehouse district, one of the reasons that I like going there is specifically because they are small, neighborhood places that do not attract the “nightclub” crowd. I hope the ZBA stands their ground on this issue. Letting a place like Sneaky Pete’s open there will change the area’s character entirely. How about opening a nice, cozy martini bar instead Mr. Karl?

Sneaky Pete’s was and always will be trouble. It would be a shame to see that area ruined and those other business shaken by this trash. Take your race card and shove it, it’s reality. Leave the ghetto in the ghetto, don’t muck up a nice area with doo-rags,guns and Jewelz Sanatanas.

I hate to say it, cause I think of myself as pretty open-minded, but I agree with #11. Like it or not, the middle/upper class people who visit the bars now don’t want to be around any kind of violence or the “youth of albany” when they go out (me being one of them.) Any threat of changing the area by bringing in this new clientele, and the current clientele will just leave. We can always find some other lounge someplace away from all that nonsense. So like it or not, Mr. Karl, your business will have a negative affect on the other businesses in the area. (And an additional point, if I want a night club type atmosphere…I don’t go out in Albany. We go to Boston, NYC or Tampa..so I won’t even be tempted to go into a youth centered place like Sneaky Pete’s.

@ elmer…I should follow that up…I don’t go to Tampa for the clubs but rather I go out when I’m there, and I happen to be there a lot. Being 31 and married, there aren’t really any clubs in Albany that cater to that crowd. So when we do go out to a club, we typically will go to Boston for the night (where there is a lot more selection) or wait until we visit friends in Tampa, where there are A LOT of clubs that are tremendous. Its just not worth it here. And I would NEVER set foot in Sneaky Pete’s. I did once in my early 20’s and that was it…never went back. (Sorry Steve for getting off topic. Just wanted to clarify.)

I’m reposting here what I wrote on my facebook page after I read this article…Rather than blaming the city’s decision on racial bias, the owner of Sneaky Pete’s should probably blame his own illogical and frankly reckless motivations for re-opening this club… He argues that providing Albany youth with a club to call their own ultimately makes the city safer. You are freely admitting you are hoping to attract “youth” to a bar with an 800 person occupancy? Bars aren’t after school programs.

I think the biggest miscalculation here is the owner trying to open up a club in an industrial building of this nature. The truth is the space is 37,000 sq/ft in a thick industrial use, it has no parking and they wanted to draw crowds of 800 people. There couldn’t be any less of an appropriate and non conforming use. It was a mistake from the beginning. The clubs owner and camp are trying to use the other bars in the area in their defense but the truth is they are restaurants/bars, not mega clubs, they aren’t even close to his concept. If a religious organization wanted to open up the space to draw 800 worshippers it too would have been rejected. It’s not the building or area for it. Any judge will realize that in a minute.

The owners of the ‘other’ establishments aren’t on Pearl ST. for a reason. Not sure how much safer it is to get to your car there, but it has to be safer than the alternative. If you want to build something for the ‘youth’, build it near to where they live. The cops are already there anyway.

I find it ironic that Sneaky Pete’s is using the race card!! This is an establishment with a long history of racist actions. Remember Latham, the protests and media coverage surrounding the clubs selective patron policies. Anyone of color excluding those with tans, where not allowed in the club. Maybe one or two slipped in, but for the most part the parking lot would be filled with black folks that could not get in!!!! Sneaky Pete’s unwritten policy was to keep folks of color OUT of their establishment. The media coverage supports this comment. There is footage and newspaper articles to support this. To soften the appearance of their actions, they turned the club into a members only club so they could somehow legitimize their discriminatory actions. They became pros at loosing the membership applications and cards of applicants of color. It wasn’t until they realized that people of color spend money and that any money is better than no money, did they open the doors to people of color. Let Sneaky’s be a club of the past!!!! Tell the entire story surrounding Sneaky Pete’s and the owners/managers (past or present)!! The answer to a club with this past history should be and always remain, “NO”. Move back to Latham!!!!! Turn the Circle Diner back into Sneaky Pete’s!!!!

Eat, drink and be candid, with Times Union Senior Writer Steve Barnes

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